Lamello U.S.A., a division of Colonial Saw Co., has redesigned its Top 21 biscuit joiner to include an 800-watt “smart” motor and a side flush base plate that allows it to get into tighter spaces.

Product manager Karl Frey points to the swiveling front stop and front stop square, which are now flush on both sides of the machine. This allows for fast alignment to the side of the workpiece in all positions, including tight corners.

“Before, the stop square in the front used to be wider than the machine base itself. We also changed the way it slides up and down on the swiveling front stop by creating a dovetail slot on the front of the machine, which assures better accuracy. Before, this stop square was on the sides held in with a clamp mechanism,” says Frey.

Another new feature is an electronically-controlled motor that includes a soft-start function, speed control, and overload and start protection.

“The smart motor was not available in the machine’s predecessor. It regulates the speed and rotations per minute so that if it gets more power surged to it, it will just stay at the same speed (about 9,000 rpm) every time, which is critical when you’re cutting wood,” says Frey.

Other redesign efforts include the measuring guide, which has been reconfigured so that angle and height adjustments can be set from the same viewpoint. The new multifunctional stop square now slides onto the base plate, making the application surface larger for more accurate vertical use. It also allows for perfect alignment of the outside edge of miter joints in work pieces of varying thickness, according to Lamello.

Additional features include a height-adjustable cutter, previously found on Lamello’s Top 20 series; the ability to do 0 to 135 degree miters; a groove cutter with scoring teeth; dust bag and wooden carrying case.